Outdoor dining

Hello everyone;

This is my first post here. I'm new to the forum. I've been in Louisville for close to 2 years and have enjoyed the restaurant scene here. I'm part of a group of women (who are also new to town) who go out for dinner once a month and try a different restaurant each time. In the summer months we would like to try restaurants that have good food and nice outdoor dining. This month we tried August Moon and loved the patio on the back (and the food wasn't bad either!). We'd like to find something nice for next month also before it gets too hot. Does anyone have any suggestions? Another consideration is that we like to keep the price of an entree under $20.

In the survey it looked like Captain's Quarters has very nice outdoor dining but I've not heard good reviews of the food. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for your input.

Amy Smalley

I'd try Captains Quarters i've heard great things about the food since Rick Adam's has joined them and the view's the best in Louisville

I'd try Captains Quarters i've heard great things about the food since Rick Adam's has joined them and the view's the best in Louisville

Have to agree with Fred. For a long time the food was OK at Captains Quarters. The draw was the venue .. outside by the Ohio and Harrods Creek. With Rick Adams the food has been elevated by one of the best chefs in the city.

Right up the street is Cunninghams, also sitting out by Harrods Creek. Will never be a fancy place, but food is always good. Less expensive, but good service and a great place during warm weather. Inside is OK but not really the best place to be.

Uptown Cafe in the Highlands has a nice little shaded patio area. I don't think any entree is over $20. In my opinion, they have Louisville's best burger. They also have great desserts--I usually order two at a time and pretend one is for the other person with me, but I really eat them both!

Hey, I work at Seviche, so I'm a bit bias, but we do love first timers who are excited about experiencing this city (which happens to be my faithful lover) and don't know our menu and everything is a fresh experience. You DON'T have to spend a lot of $ on our patio (or inside) in spite of the pricier items on our menu. We have a great patio and I hope that you stop in. I guess a reason I would chime in to suggest is because of our light fare - it seems to be popular with the ladies and we are so girl friendly, our service staff seems so much more than many other restaurants I've been to ever. Our patio seats a lot and we do take reservations (so sorry if this is soliciting, I could also suggest the Irish Rover, Molly's, Avalon, Asiatique, etc...).

I don't think you can go wrong with Seviche or Uptown, both are great places.

For another good casual restaurant with nice outdoor space try Baxter Station.

Palermo Viejo is a great Argentine restaurant on bardstown road with out door tables out front on the sidewalk. best fries ever.

For upscale, the deck at Le Relais overlooking the runway at Bowman field can't be beat.

El Mundo has some funky outdoor tables in the gravel out back. Get the carnitas or fish tacos and try to ignore the trains that rumble past. The margaritas help you to not notice the trains.

Artemesia has a lovely outdoor patio, but I've heard so many mixed reviews of the food lately.

Azalea also has nioce big patio, just avoid Wednesday night when it is mobbed.

I think Carly Rae's has the nicest patio in the city, and the food and service are pretty good too.

Well, my little girls night out group ended up trying Captain's Quarters. Thanks for all the suggestions! We go out once a month so I'm sure we'll eventually get to all of them.

We were pleased with our experience. I was not expecting much food-wise but was willing to try it after someone posted they had a new chef. I had the chipotle shrimp and grits which was very good (a little heavy on the sauce but the shrimp were tender and the grits were extremely tasty. Plus the presentation was beautiful). I've tried shrimp and grits all over town lately and this comes in only behind the Old Stone Inn. My friends tried the scallops and couscous dish, margerita pizza and the chicken cobb salad and everyone loved their food. We were disappointed that when they brought us the dessert menu, there were out of 3 of the 5 offered, which seemed odd. Also, we waited a long time for our appetizer. It seems as though it was delivered to another table by mistake and that table thought it looked good enough to keep:) But they quickly delivered another one to us.

But, the view of the river outweighed any negatives and we had a very lovely time.

I plan on trying this again soon with my husband and kids. It seemed very family friendly.

My wife and I went to Ramseys on Bardstown Road for lunch last week. We had not been there since they added the patio out front. From the street it does not appear to be much. We were pleasantly surprised at how nice and roomy it was. Also, there is a large section under roof with fans. It was over 80 degrees outside but very pleasant on the patio.

If you enjoy fried foods, Mike Linning's can't be beat.

[Robin Garr]

If you enjoy fried foods, Mike Linning's can't be beat.

I almost hate to say this because I've loved Mike Linnig's for years, and the atmosphere of the picnic grove can't be beat. But in the several visits over the last two or three years, I've found the food quality has slipped a lot. Greasy fried fish served lukewarm with the breading falling off and limp, tepid french fries are not good eats, I'm sorry.

That's odd...I was there a month or so ago entertaining some out-of-state guests, and the food quality was excellent. Everyone's food was perfectly cooked, very hot and crispy, certainly not limp and lukewarm. I can't wait to go back on a weekend where I want to completely blow my diet.